Blake Lively Reveals She Asked Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez to Watch Her IEWU Edit
Blake Lively reached out directly to Ben Affleck — and invited his then-wife Jennifer Lopez to weigh in — while seeking feedback on her edit of It Ends With Us, according to an email included in unsealed court filings.
In May 17, 2024, Lively, 38, wrote to Affleck, 53, “Ben, It’s Blake. Don’t hang up.” She went on to described the film’s production — directed by her costar Justin Baldoni, 41 — the "most upsetting experience I’ve ever had on a movie,” adding, “This movie nearly killed me.”
Lively also added that her husband Ryan Reynolds, 49, was "blown away” by Affleck and “equally effusive about your Dunkin’ commercial,” joking that Affleck now had “a Canadian fan club in my house."
Lively, who starred alongside director Affleck in 2010’s The Town, said the behind-the-scenes drama on It Ends With Us could rival the film's story itself, likening it to “if Wild Wild Country, Fyre Festival and Going Clear had a baby with The Room.”
Lively wrote that she had rewritten and restructured the script and was in the middle of an editing “bake off,” saying she had been given 10 days to complete her own pass while Baldoni had been editing for months.
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Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty
She asked Affleck if he would be willing to watch the nearly two-hour cut and share any notes ahead of a friends-and-family screening in New York.
“If you have 1:58 of free time at any time in the next few days, would you be willing to watch the movie and give me any ideas or notes?" she wrote, offering to send a link to the film and accept feedback as casually as a voice memo. She also warned of the film’s domestic violence themes.
Lively added that she would welcome Lopez’s perspective as well. “I’m such a fan of Jennifer’s,” she wrote, saying it would be “an honor” to have Lopez’s take. At the time, Affleck and Lopez were married; the couple tied the knot in 2022 and later divorced in August 2024.
The actress also sprinkled the note with humor and gratitude, mentioning that Reynolds had asked Matt Damon to watch the film as well. “Good men showing up,” she wrote, joking, “Can you believe Jason Bourne is watching my movie!?!”
It is unclear whether Affleck ultimately responded to Lively’s request or watched the film.
The email surfaced amid Lively’s ongoing legal dispute with Baldoni. The legal fight began in December 2024, when Lively sued Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni has denied the allegations and filed a $400 million countersuit, which was dismissed in June by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman. The trial is scheduled to begin May 18.
